Richardson Dilworth

Richardson Dilworth (29 August 1898-23 January 1974) was Mayor of Philadelphia (D) from 2 January 1956 to 12 February 1962, succeeding Joseph S. Clark Jr. and preceding James Hugh Joseph Tate.

Biography
Richardson Dilworth was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1898, and he served in the US Marine Corps during World War I and as an officer during World War II. He grew up as a Republican, but later became a Democrat due to his frustration with the city's Republican political machine. In 1949, he was elected City Treasurer, and he narrowly lost the 1950 gubernatorial election. In 1951, he was elected Philadelphia District Attorney, and he went on to serve as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962. He supported the extensive construction of high-rise public housing, although it became a breeding ground for poverty and crime. He also reversed the decline of Center City, and he saved the Society Hill district. He left office in 1962 and launched another failed gubernatorial bid, and he died in 1974.